


Heading North

by clefairytea



Series: Peaks and Valleys Adjacent [7]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types
Genre: Clefairy's Holiday Fic Request Fest, Fluff, Gen, M/M, Shinoh-chihou | Sinnoh
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-10
Updated: 2019-12-10
Packaged: 2021-02-26 05:20:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,870
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21748192
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/clefairytea/pseuds/clefairytea
Summary: Sinnoh was ridiculously cold. Blue knew he’d just gotten used to the tropical Alolan climate, but he honestly did not know how people lived up here!Red, naturally, was in his element. The cold suited him, as did how sparsely populated and trecherous must of Sinnoh was. He looked to be itching to get up Mt Coronet and start their research expedition already.Cynthia must have spotted him looking longingly at the horizon because she laughed.“Oh, yes, we’ll be heading up there soon,” she said, and then grimaced, “but there are materials I need to get from someone at Eterna University first.”--Blue and Red spend some time in Sinnoh.
Relationships: Ookido Green | Blue Oak/Red
Series: Peaks and Valleys Adjacent [7]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1200031
Comments: 12
Kudos: 465





	Heading North

**Author's Note:**

> Another holiday request! Anon wanted Red & Blue in Sinnoh.

Sinnoh was _ridiculously_ cold. Blue knew he’d just gotten used to the tropical Alolan climate, but he honestly did not know how people lived up here!

Red, naturally, was in his element. The cold suited him, as did how sparsely populated and trecherous must of Sinnoh was. He looked to be itching to get up Mt Coronet and start their research expedition already.

Cynthia must have spotted Red looking longingly at the horizon because she laughed.

“Oh, yes, we’ll be heading up there soon,” she said, and then grimaced, “but there are materials I need to get from someone at Eterna University first.”

Blue made a face as well. He remembered all too well how nightmarish it was dealing with university bureaucracy for old materials. Oh yes, they’d hand any old thing away to any random ten-year-old who popped by, but if you were an actual adult working on an actual research project, it became a maze of fuss and paperwork.

“Don’t envy you there,” he said, tugging his jacket a bit tighter around himself. “We really going up that mountain in _winter_ , though?”

“I have reason to believe the ruins only _appear_ in winter,” Cynthia said, tapping her chin. “It’s fascinating, the people of ancient Sinnoh seem to have combined psychic and ice type Pokémon’s abilities to make the ruin inaccessible in any other season. In fact, it has raised the issue of whether Sinnoh had contact with Galar pre-regionisation, since some of the old texts seem to actually describe _Galarian_ Mr Mime. Moreover, this suggests that –“

Blue couldn’t help but drift off as Cynthia geeked out about history. Red was still listening attentively, however – in fact, he looked rather fascinated by the whole thing. The two of them always got along better than most would anticipate.

Blue didn’t think it was that surprising – they had plenty in common. They were both powerful trainers slightly baffled by their respective fanbases and neither particularly liked looking others in the eye much (although Cynthia opted to hide behind her hair, rather than a cap like Red did). Moreover they were both, despite appearances, huge nerds.

Letting Cynthia get on with her lecture, Blue tried to remember what he’d read about Eterna City. There had to be somewhere interesting he could take Red. This would be their last sight of civilisation before weeks up Mt Coronet, battling and surviving and (in Blue’s case) translating.

If Blue was honest, going into the mountains with Red always made him nervous. Not because he thought anything would go wrong – Red was one of the best survivalists he knew. There was a reason Red was invited on so many research expeditions.

No, Blue just couldn't help but worry Red would get stuck again.

So, he always made a point to take Red somewhere interesting amongst civilisation first, to remind him there were things worth coming back for.

“Oh! I need to go for my meeting!” Cynthia said, checking the time on her Silphone with alarm. “Will you two be able to entertain yourselves for the afternoon?”

“We always do,” Blue said, flipping a hand.

“I’ll let you know right away if they actually _release_ these materials to me,” she said, sweeping her hair behind her ear. “Honestly…I’m only the _ex-champion_.”

“You know that doesn’t help,” Blue said. Cynthia snorted in a way that would disillusion a great swathe of her fanbase all at once.

“Oh, yes. But I can always hope,” she said and sweptaway in a flurry of her black dress, heading towards the Eterna University library.

“Heh, don’t envy her. So, pal, I was thinking…” Blue began, but Red cut him off with a tug on his hand, tilting his head.

“Huh? You got a plan for the afternoon?”

Red nodded.

“Well, alright,” Blue said, bemused but intrigued. “Lead the way.”

****

Red took him east out of Eterna City proper. The snow was beginning to come down, and Blue thought how he should have bullied Red into his jacket before they left the hotel that morning. Even if he didn’t _feel_ the cold, he still _got_ cold.

Red wasn’t great at subtlety, so Blue quickly figured out he was taking him to the ancient statue on the hill east of town. It was a formidable hill, the summit obscured behind tall, leafless trees. The gate over the entrance was old, the red paint peeling, a chain of bells and trinkets dangling above it. Through the gate, the stairs were white and shiny with frost, snow building up on the railings.

Next to the gate was sign, decorated with a cartoon rendering of Palkia, declared it a good 25 minute hike. At that, Blue plucked Pigeot’s ball from his belt. Red startled and glanced between the Pokéball and the stairs, frowning.

“…Let me guess,” Blue said, exasperated and amused all at once. “You want us to actually walk it.”

Red nodded, as though Blue were a complete idiot to think otherwise. And he supposed he was. Red always seemed to think using their Pokémon to get through this kind of thing was ‘cheating’. This was the man who insisted on scaling Mt Silver without any Pokémon that could use Rock Climb, after all.

Blue touched at his stomach which, admittedly, was feeling much softer than it had been when he was still travelling actively. Maybe the practice before Mt Coronet would do him good.

“Hmph, easy,” he said. “Let’s go.”

****

Blue absolutely could not breathe.

“You’re going to have to go the rest of the way without me, bud,” he said, leaning over with his hands on his knees. Red, not even in the least breaking a sweat, looked back at him as though he’d gone completely mad.

Pikachu snickered at him, hopping off Red’s shoulder to run on ahead. Sylveon had returned herself to her Pokéball within the first ten minutes. Blue found he couldn’t really blame her.

“I could manage this if it wasn’t snowing!” he said, between pants. “And these jeans don’t have much give.”

Red raised his eyebrows at that, in a ‘Who’s fault is that?’ gesture. Blue flushed and pushed on.

“And I’m not wearing the right shoes. They’re _brogues_ , they’re not _for_ hikes.”

He looked down at his poor shoes – they had been new, from that boutique in Jubilife City he’d heard everyone rave about. The toes were already scuffed, and one of the laces had already frayed at the end.

This was a _disaster_.

“The only reason _you’re_ not out of shape,” Blue whined, “is that I do all the desk work so you have time to be running around…fighting Moon and – and...chasing wild Hakamo-o around…”

With a roll of his eyes, Red crouched down and scooped Blue onto his back. Startled, Blue snapped his arms around his shoulders. He would complain that he didn’t need to be carried about like an old man, but frankly he was tired, Red was warm, and he didn’t want to ruin his 70,000 yen shoes any further.

“This old statue better be good,” he grumbled instead. “We better not get up there and it turns out you just wanted to catch some like, rare breed of Starly that lives up here or something.”

Red’s shoulders shook.

“Don’t you laugh at me,” he said, slapping him on the back gently. Red only laughed more, and Blue couldn’t help but join in.

“Alright,” he said, conceding that he was being ridiculous. “So why are you so into seeing this old statue?”

Red looked over at his shoulder, expression briefly surprised, and then smirked, returning his gaze to the path before him.

“Not telling, huh,” Blue continued. “Fine, I’m easy. Don’t give a hoot either way. You just owe me dinner after this.”

The snow was settling onto the ground now, piling up softly. As they got further up, he heard music and muffled voices through the trees. Turning the corner, they saw another gate, like the one at the bottom, although this had small statues of Dialga and Palkia on either side of it, weather-worn and barely recognisable. They were decorated with gold and silver ribbons.

There was clearly something going on.

“Hey,” he said, patting Red’s shoulder. “Put me down. This is not a dignified entrance. If there’s any fans of mine up here – and let’s face it, there _will_ be - I don’t want to crush their dreams.”

Red gave him a look over his shoulder but only tightened his grip on Blue’s thighs and picked up the pace, rushing them up the next few steps. The Ancient Statue towered over them, surrounded by stalls selling food – takoyaki stands, with men shouting out prices and dishing out boxes to the children gathered in front, stands selling chocolate-covered bananas and frosty cucumbers on sticks, a busy yakisoba stand where a woman was tossing noodles on the sizzling grill, portioning them into boxes faster than Blue could see. Up next to the main shrine, there were stalls selling little golden omamori, fans painted with Cresselia and Giratina, and little ivory Palkia and Dialga figures.

There was more people than Blue expected – a lot of them dressed up, even their Pokémon decorated with little bells and ribbons.

A girl in a kimono looked over at them and giggled, whispering something to her companion.

“Oh, you’re a real comedian,” Blue said. “Put me down.”

Still clearly amused at himself, Red gently crouched to put him down. Blue re-ruffled his hair back into place and straightened his collar, not looking forward to whatever would turn up on social media about them later. He debated briefly about putting on his sunglasses, but in the weather that would only make him _more_ conspicuous, so he settled for pulling up his scarf to obscure part of his face.

“Bit busier than I bet you were expecting,” Blue muttered, looking anxiously at the big crowds. Draped at the foot of the Ancient Statue was a banner declaring it _Eterna Winter Festival_. There were some men in robes and others in costume up on the shrine, looking as though they were preparing for this. “Surprised Cynthia didn’t mention this…”

Red looked surprised and pulled out his phone, typing something. He showed it to Blue.

_She did._

“Oh,” Blue said. Well, she talked so _much_ , he sometimes zoned out. “Wait, _you_ chose to come somewhere crowded on purpose?”

_Sounded interesting. Depict the ancient battle between Cresselia and Giratina through costumed dance. And battle from local trainers._

Before Blue could reply, Red held up a hand and typed some more. Blue waited patiently. Pikachu returned and scampered up to Red’s shoulder, nuzzling her cheek against his. Red seemed to relax a little, lifting a hand to scratch behind her ear.

_Ceremonial battle is interesting. Closest anyone can get to seeing ancient battle styles._

_Cynthia said it was accurate as it could be, with the historical records available._

“Nerd,” Blue said, smiling at him.

_Also. Thought you’d like it._

“Ha, you’re right. Not like we have many opportunities to do this kinda thing back in Alola,” Blue said, taking his hand. “Malie City’s just not the same. Now c’mon. You can make up for dragging me up here with some yakisoba.”

**Author's Note:**

> I know the hill next to Eterna City is just a small plain hill but let's pretend it's a pretty little hike.
> 
> Autistic Cynthia rights. Girl info-dumps at you about folklore every time you see her.


End file.
